Food waste refers to edible food that is not eaten for one reason or another. Food scraps such as banana peels, apple cores and bones are not included – they should be composted.

Food is wasted when we buy more than we need, store it incorrectly, throw away leftovers and cook too much. When we throw away food, we also waste all the water and energy used to produce, package and transport food from the farm to our plates. This waste creates significant environmental impacts and is costly to family budgets.

American Food Waste Facts:

40% of all food in the US is wasted

25% of all freshwater we consume - goes to produce the food we never eat

4% of the oil we consume - goes to produce the food we never eat

$166 billion (retail value of preventable waste) - is spent on the food we never eat

135 million tons of GHG emissions - is created by the food we never eat

These numbers are for our whole food system from farms, processors, retailers and households.

Average American:

Household throws out 25% of the food they purchase

Family of four tosses out more than $1,600 a year in wasted food

Save the Food:

Visit savethefood.com for a comprehensive guide on how to curb food waste.